1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus capable of communicating with an external authentication device.
2. Description of the Related Art
An information processing apparatus including an authentication function performs authentication processing in the event of a user operating the information processing apparatus via a network. For example, upon a user instructing a printing apparatus to make the transition to a user mode using a Web browser, the printing apparatus requests input of a user identification number from the Web browser, and performs authentication processing based on the user identification number inputted by the user (e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-359718).
In the event of the authentication based on the user identification number succeeding, the printing apparatus transmits a Web page in the user mode to the Web browser. Thus, the user can operate the printing apparatus from the Web page in the user mode.
With a network environment, authentication information to be employed for authentication processing is not managed by each of multiple information processing apparatuses but integrally managed by an external authentication device (hereafter, referred to as an authentication server) in some cases.
For example, authentication information such as a user name, a password, and so forth is retained at an authentication server, and an information processing apparatus requests the authentication server to execute authentication processing based on authentication information inputted by a user. In the event of a user operating the information processing apparatus from a user terminal via a network, the information processing apparatus receives authentication information from the user terminal via the network, and requests the authentication server to execute authentication processing based on the received authentication information.
At this time, the information processing apparatus needs to receive the authentication information itself, that has been inputted by the user at the user terminal. In the event of the information processing apparatus retaining authentication information to perform authentication processing, according to some authentication methods, there is no need to transmit the authentication information itself that has been inputted by the user to the information processing apparatus via the network. On the other hand, in the event of the information processing apparatus acting in lieu of the user terminal or mediating between the user terminal and the authentication server regarding a request of the authenticating processing to the authentication server, the information processing apparatus needs to receive the authentication information itself that has been inputted by the user.
However, in the event that the authentication information necessary for the authentication processing at the authentication server is transmitted from the user terminal to the information processing apparatus via the network as it is, the authentication information is readily subjected to wiretapping by a third party, and the authentication information is readily leaked.
Encryption communication is performed between the user terminal and the information processing apparatus, whereby authentication information can be protected from wiretapping. However, the information processing apparatus cannot always perform encryption processing. For example, in the event that employment of encryption communication is not set by the user, the information processing apparatus cannot perform encryption communication.
Enabling selection of the authentication processing at the authentication server in a state in which the information processing apparatus cannot perform encryption communication unintentionally allows the user terminal to transmit authentication information to the information processing apparatus without security measures implemented.